Unfaithful
by DCCDchick
Summary: What if Erik hadn't caught Zoey and Loren? What If Zoey hadn't caught Loren and Neferet? Loren wouldn't have felt Zoey's pain and gone looking for her, so he would still be alive. Loren keep his promise of seeing Zoey the next day. Two-Shot Song-fic.
1. Unfaithful

What if Erik hadn't caught Zoey and Loren? What If Zoey hadn't caught Loren and Neferet? Loren wouldn't have felt Zoey's pain and gone looking for her, so he would still be alive. Loren keep his promise of seeing Zoey the next day. Let's pretend, just for now, that he never was evil.

_Poet's Loft, after classes._

_I'll be thinking of you until then, my love._

His neat scroll caresses the paper, as his hand caressed your skin the other night. Just the thought sends shivers down your spine. _"You're mine." "Your's."_ You blink away the tears. You don't even know why they're coming.

_Story of my life_

_Searching for the right_

_But it keeps avoiding me_

_Sorrow in my soul_

_Cause it seems that wrong_

_Really loves my company_

_Lies_. More and more lies. You know they'll be your down fall one day. But you can't seem to care, not when he's on your mind. _Lies_. Because you know exactly why you're crying. You can't seem to say no to him, even when your gut tells you that _Erik_ is the one for you. It's as if you're under his spell. _You may very well be_. Some voice, once recognizable as your conscious, tells you. _He is a powerful, skilled acting vampire. _ No. He has not bespelled you. You're just weak enough to fall for temptation. Because he make you feel strong, powerful, womanly, in control, when everything is out of your hands. He's a guilty pleasure.

_He's more than a man_

_And this is more than love_

_The reason that the sky is blue_

_But clouds are rolling in_

_Because I'm gone again_

_And to him I just can't be true—_

"What's that, Zoey?" Damien asks. You should be guilty, jump, and hide like the coward you are, but months of sneaking around has perfected your acting abilities.

"Just a note from Erik," You whisper, a half smile on your face. You resist the urge to puke at how good you've become. _Sick._ _Twisted. Lies. False._ That's the word that best describes you now. _False._ As false as your smiles, as false as your love, as false as your soul. You can't imagine why the goddess picked you.

You look up at Damien, and he his staring at you. When he meets your eyes, he gives you a false, nervous smile. He knows.

_And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful_

_And it kills him inside_

_To know that I am happy with some other guy_

_I can see him dying_

His eyes glance way quickly, the light in them dying a little. Just as his trust in you is dying a little. With each lie to protect Loren, they distrust you a little more. And a part of you dies a little too, but no one can see that.

They all know, but they are your friends. So they won't say anything, and they'll hope that their wrong. Aphrodite's chilling, hard eyes catch yours. She won't deny the truth, but she won't give away your secret. She never had any trust in you to begin with.

_I feel it in the air_

_As I'm doing my hair_

_Preparing for another date_

_A kiss up on my cheek_

_He's here reluctantly_

_As if I'm gonna be out late_

Classes pass quickly, with one thought on your mind. You hate Loren.

Not the thought most would expect. You hate him because he represents your weakness. Because your relationship with him is destroying the one with Erik, but you can't stop. You like to believe if Loren never came into your life you would be faithful to Erik. But you know it's not true. There have been others: _Heath, Stark._ You remember what Neferet said, she, too, knows. Even though you hate her, her words ring true.

_"Great power is a curse and a blessing. You're powerful enough to have them imprint on you just by sight. They fell in love with you, they love and want you, even when they know the truth, and probably will forever. But they won't want to see you, just as you don't want to see Loren. You'll be drawn to each other, but they will despise you. Because loving you will hurt too much."_

You should allow them to hate you. But you can't, because you need them to love you. Aphrodite was right. Power changes people. It changed you, and it's changing the people around you.

"Zoey!" His voice calls to you, out side your last class. It's sweet, like honey to your ears, and you know you love him more then the others. He catches you and spins you with a laugh, like two dancers across the ballroom floor. You laugh too. His boyish charm and energy fills you, gives you life, and reenergizes you. You noticed that when you're not with him you feel numb and dead. Tired, because he is your soul, and without him, you have no will to live.

Kissing you on the cheek, he asks if you want to catch a movie with everyone else.

You tell him you can't, you have to prepare for the next Full Moon Ritual. His boyish grin dies, and you die along with it. Behind him, you can see Loren Blake wink, and head toward the poet's loft.

"Can't you do it later?" He asks, broken.

You've broken him. You bow your head and shake it, trying to hide the tears that are threatening to spill. You must do it now, you say. He releases you and stares, for a long moment, before turning and leaving. He heads in the opposite direction of the poet's loft, and as you follow Loren, you chuckle cynically. The perfect metaphor of your life.

_I say I won't be long_

_Just hanging with the girls_

_A lie I didn't have to tell_

_Because we both know_

_Where I'm about to go_

_And we know it very well_

_Cause I know that he knows I'm unfaithful_

_And it kills him inside_

_To know that I am happy with some other guy_

_I can see him dying_

You walk slowly to the loft, as if fighting the path your feet choose to take, but your not. If you really fought, you'd be with Erik right now. Still, walking slow will prolong the walk of shame, and let you drowned a little in it.

When you arrive, you knock on the door. You hear shuffling. It opens and you step into his open arms and breathe in his scent. He always smells the same, delicious. You kiss him hungrily. Like you are a starving person, and he is the food. He returns your kiss with passion. This isn't like Erik. It's wrong. It's _false. _It's only passion. You pretend you enjoy it. You make all the sounds he likes to make him think he is the only one. With him, you feel nothing but passion, raw. But with your true lover, you feel it all. The passion, the lust, the desire. Because of him, you are betraying your true love. "_Mine"_ He whispers. And he has you under his spell. Very gently he leans down and kissed your forehead, then your left cheek, then your right. He kisses your chin, and then your nose, before finally kissing you ever so softly on the lips. You stand very still while he kisses you. You return his kiss when you finally feel his lips on yours. He rests his forehead on yours and looks into your eyes. "I'm glad you're finally back."

"_I'm not' _You think to yourself. You smile and look back into his eyes. "Me too."

He kisses you again, putting his left hand on the back of your head, feeling your hair. He runs his right hand down your back and moans. "I missed you." You kiss him to shut him up, because you don't want to hear it. You don't want to be swept away by his passion and charm. But eventually you'll break, and he'll win, once again. So why fight? He picks you up bridal style and you put your arms around his shoulders, leaning in to kiss his neck. He carries you to the bedroom and lays you down on the bed. You sit up to start unbuttoning his pants. He takes off his shirt and then works on taking off yours. His fingers burn your skin. You call silently on water to wash was the burn. Later, you'll call on water to purify yourself, but it won't come. It won't work. You'll still feel dirty. You pull back from him so he can get the shirt over your head, and then you move to pull down his pants. You see green silk boxers, it makes you smile. You ask Mother Earth to accept you when you die, even though you are not pure. You pull down the boxers before he pushes you back down on the bed.

You rise up to kiss him, and he unhooks your bra.

You pull him down while still kissing him so you are lying flat on the bed.

He reaches down to undo your pants.

You help him kick them off.

Mechanical movement, fuelled by passion.

_False._

_I don't wanna do this anymore_

_I don't wanna be the reason why_

_Every time I walk out the door_

_I see him die a little more inside_

_I don't wanna hurt him anymore_

_I don't wanna take away his life_

_I don't wanna be..._

_A murderer_

He kisses down your jaw, pausing to kiss your neck, before kissing down to your chest. He stops at your left breast and kisses your nipple. He licks it and then blows cool air on it. He watches it tighten up in arousal. He sucks the nipple into his mouth. You arch your back and make all the sounds he likes. You're not really paying attention though. Your thoughts are on your betrayal. Your lies. Your falseness.

He moves to my other breast and teases it just the same. You close your eyes and imagine Erik doing more to you. You feel him kissing down your stomach, and then you feel his lips on your lower lips through your panties. You moan and spread your legs more.

"You're too good to be true."

You squeeze your eyes tight to keep back tears. After you've asked fire to burn them away, you open your eye and see him looking at you with desire.

You reach your hand out to him, and he moves over your body.

You hook your legs on his hips.

He kisses your collar bone as he slides into you.

You turn my head to the side to give him more room.

Mechanical movements. Numbness. _False._

_Our Love, his trust_

_I might as well take a gun and put it to his head_

_Get it over with_

_I don't wanna do this_

_Anymore (anymore)_

He moves within you, and you moan his name. He starts to move faster. He moans louder and louder, you shut your eyes and imagine another set of hands on you. Another pair of lips kissing your. You imagine moaning someone else's name. You imagine gasping out in pleasure in someone else's arms. As you imagine someone else, you can feel your orgasm grow.

You are betraying Erik by being with Loren. You are betraying Loren by thinking of Erik. Really Loren's not a horrible man. He treats you right. He would be a good partner. But you hate him. Because it's easier then hating yourself.

You knows the man above you is close because of the short breathes he is taking. You moan his name again, running your hands down his back. He pants into your neck, and you put your hands in his long black hair. He gasps your name one more time before emptying himself into you. You think of the other person and give yourself over to your orgasm, careful not to say his name.

You lay there for a moment, gathering your breath. He rolls onto his back and pulls you with him. You are tucked against his side, head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. You feel safe, strong. Loren gives you strength, as Erik gives you life. Loren is your fire. You're passion. Heath purified you. He was your water. Stark made you feel strangely free. He was your air. You still haven't found earth, but you know one day you will. And it will be just one more element of your life you are betraying.

The rhythm of his heart puts you to sleep. You miss him kissing the top of your head, and telling you he would do anything to keep you. When you awake, it is almost morning, and he is in the shower. 'I don't want to do this anymore.' You think to yourself. But you know you will be here again. You will come back, because you can't stay away. As you are about to leave you turn to tell him goodbye. You see him standing in the hall with the same sad expression Erik had in the hall. Your heart tightens up, and you can feel the sorrow in your soul. You leave without saying another word. He knows. He was the first to know. He needs to accept it. Tonight it must end. You can not do this to Erik anymore. You must end this. This is wrong in every way. With the Erik, it is right. You made love with him one last time. You moaned his name one last time. You wish you could forget this ever happened. Being with him doesn't bring you any happiness, it only brings you more sorrow. He asks you when you can be together again and you feel a lonely tear fall down your cheek.

"We can't be together Loren. This was the last time. I can't keep doing this to him. He is the right thing for me."

"We can make this right. We can do this."

"This can never be right, because you don't love me like he does." He looks at her with a hard look. He opens his mouth to speak.

"Don't deny it. You have never said that you loved me, not once. But I have told you on many occasions that I love you. You are wrong because you don't return my feelings. No matter our imprint." You turn without another word, and he does not stop you, because this has happened before. He knows, given time, you will come back.

_I don't wanna do this anymore_

_I don't wanna be the reason why_

_Every time I walk out the door_

_I see him die a little more inside_

_I don't wanna hurt him anymore_

_I don't wanna take away his life_

_I don't wanna be..._

_A murderer (a murderer)_

You gather your things and leave him behind. You walk back to your dorm.

"Zoey," His voice shocks you. He's standing by the entrance to the girls dorms, even though it's after curfew. His voice is strained, sad. And you know without looking, his eyes are the same, because he knows. He's always known. "We need to talk."


	2. Too Late

"_Zoey," His voice shocks you. He's standing by the entrance to the girls dorms, even though it's after curfew. His voice is strained, sad. And you know without looking, his eyes are the same, because he knows. He's always known. "We need to talk."_

Your heart stops, and breaks just a little. But still, still, your breath is a sigh of relief. A broken hallelujah.

"I know why you're here, Erik." She says, coldly. And you wonder; Did she ever have a heart? Before any of this, did she ever love you? Her face is marred, scared with pain. A pain she seems to carry constantly with her. You hoped you could be her redemption. You thought you could save her. From all who would use her, abuse her, mislead her. Stop any and all harm that could ever come to her. But you weren't strong enough. And then it disappears. She makes her face a mask. A mask that hides her face. A face that hides the pain. A pain that eats her heart. A heart that nobody knows.

And now, on top of it all, you must hurt her. Because you see, in her numb, chilled, tear stained eyes, the girl you loved is dead. Buried. She died long ago. Left in her place is what Zoey needs to be. A vessel, for others to use. The Goddess created her for one purpose. And Zoey, your Zoey, wasn't strong enough to withstand.

_I'm holding on your rope,  
Got me ten feet off the ground_

When you love, the highs are the highest, and the lows are the lowest. You thought once that you would give up anything for this girl. But the woman in front of you is not that girl. Merely the shell. Still, you can't help but give her one last chance.

"Zoey," You nearly choke on her name. "Zoey, please." You hold out your hand to her, knowing she understand the significance. You could leave. Leave with her and never come back. Away from them all. Away from Nefret. Away from Loren, Heath, Stark. And eventually, she would come back. Your Zoey would be reborn, if only you could get away from it all.

"We can leave Zoey. We can leave it all." _Please_. Your eyes plead, _please, take my hand. Swear to me, that it's me. That I'm the one…_

She looks at your hand, and you see your Zoey in her eyes. She wants to leave. She's crying to be let free. To be released from her duty. To be redeemed.

You can be that redemption.

A small, shaking hand reaches out to clasp yours.

And then you both see it. In the distance. In the fog. Shadowy and impending. You have felt its presence. The _thing_ that is coming. The evil that has been everyone ever present motivation. It's funny that something that could unite so many together as one force is also the driving wedge between so many lovers. Her hand retreats just the littlest, and you panic.

"I love you, Zoey." You reassure her. "More than you could imagine, but I _cannot_ go on with this. Pretending _everyday_ that I don't know what's going on, that I haven't seen you together, that I haven't _heard _you together." I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. "Just say you'll be mine, and I'll keep you safe. We'll leave. You'll never have to see him, or any of the others again."

Her trembling hand jerks back, her eyes widen in fear. Immediately you realize your mistake. Losing them all scares her. They are her safety net. She is nothing without her earth, her air, her water, her fire. Without her soul.

"I-" For the first time in a long time, her voice shakes, and she is just a scared girl, too young to be involved in this world. "I can't, Erik… I can't. Please understand, I love you, Erik, but I need them. I need them…"

Your hand drops.

Your shoulders slump.

Your eyes prickle.

And just maybe, your heart breaks a little more, if I can. Hard to imagine, considering the shambles it's been for months.

"I'm sorry."

_I'm hearin what you say but I just can't make a sound  
You tell me that you need me  
Then you go and cut me down, but wait  
You tell me that you're sorry  
Didn't think I'd turn around, and say..._

It's too late. You realized that now, as you walk away, without her. It's too late to save her. It's impossible to change her. The goddess made her that way, because it's what she needed to be. The goddess crafted you, to be part of her. But you won't take it anymore. You won't be a part of the Goddess's manipulations and games anymore.

_It's too late to apologize, it's too late  
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late  
_

"It's too late, Zoey," You breath, "It's too late." As you sigh, the wind carrying the words back to her, even the relief in your voice. Relief that you never knew would come with walking away. And you are, relieved. It's over, not in the way that you wanted, not in a way that isn't painful, not in a way that doesn't make you want to go back to ignorance, to run and cry and accept her apology. But in a way that tell you that for the first time in a long time, you have control of your life, and heart, again.

_I'd take another chance, take a fall  
Take a shot for you  
And I need you like a heart needs a beat  
But it's nothin new  
I loved you with a fire red-  
Now it's turning blue, and you say...  
"Sorry" like the angel heaven let me think was you  
But I'm afraid...  
_

You would go back. You would. But it's too much. Too late. You had hoped that it would have a happy ending. That this would fix everything. But you realize how naïve that was of you now. How could a situation like this have a happy ending? One way or another, is some aspect, it was going to end badly. But you deluded yourself into believe that there was a middle ground. Or, at very least, that you meant enough to her. But life isn't a fairytale, and sometimes, the sad endings are the ones that mean the most, that impact our lives the most, that teach us the most. For a long time you had ignored it, trying to keep your love strong, but with every little lie, every meeting, every second of deception and treachery, the bond died a little.

"It was always you Erik." She whispers. But you never stop or hesitant. The words are closure, and nothing else. "It was always you."

_It's too late to apologize, it's too late  
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late  
_


End file.
